Gunsight Pass Trail • Hike • Montana • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Jul 05 2024

Lucyan

Routes 1
Photos 29,225
Triplogs 1,447

45 female

Joined Jan 18 2011
In the Wild

Sperry Glacier Trail

Western, MT

Sperry Glacier Trail

Western, MT

Hiking		Jul 05 2024
		Lucyan • Triplogs 1,447

Hiking	21.00 Miles	5,960 AEG

Hiking	21.00 Miles
	5,960 ft AEG

no routes

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linked

Gunsight Pass Trail

Gunsight Lake

Gunsight Pass

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1 archive

Jul 17 2017

FOTG

Guides 37
Routes 556
Photos 10,872
Triplogs 1,052

43 male

Joined Jan 21 2013
AZ

Mount Brown Lookout - GNP

Western, MT

Mount Brown Lookout - GNP

Western, MT

Hiking		Jul 17 2017
		FOTG • Triplogs 1,052

Hiking	10.45 Miles	4,314 AEG

Hiking	10.45 Miles
	4,314 ft AEG

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Gunsight Pass Trail

Mount Brown Lookout Trail

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This was my last hike in Glacier. I had wanted to do this hike since reading that it was perhaps the most strenuous hike in the park, however, I put it on the back burner until my final day, which proved to be a great choice.

I am not sure if this it the park's most strenuous hike, or even the most strenuous I did while at the park, however, you do gain 4,300 feet in just over five miles on the way to the lookout. I took a little longer break than usual at the top to soak in the views and reflect on my three weeks spent in the place they call, "the Crown of our Continent." In terms of hiking and outdoor living it was truly an amazing few weeks and any amount of paragraphs describing it would still be an understatement. In fact, I find it nearly impossible to articulate the beauty of Glacier, its level of wilderness, or the level of personal and physical fulfillment it brought me. One simply needs to see the place for him, or herself.

In the end, I covered just over 250 miles between Glacier and Waterton Lakes and still somehow left regretting I did not hit more trails and with a to-do list of trails and destinations, as long as the one that I came to the park with. This is truly a "trails" park and a hiker/backpacker's paradise and it was tough to say goodbye to. There is no such thing, as a bad hike in Glacier and Brown's Lookout proved to be the perfect hike to signal the end to my time in the park, however, I would have probably said that about any hike in this amazing park.

Snyder Creek

Medium flow

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1 archive

Aug 15 2012

Sun_Ray

Routes 144
Photos 1,145
Triplogs 1,238

77 male

Joined Sep 09 2004
Scottsdale, AZ

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Hiking		Aug 15 2012
		Sun_Ray • Triplogs 1,238

Hiking	13.60 Miles	3,360 AEG

Hiking	13.60 Miles	7 Hrs 49 Mns	1.74 mph
	3,360 ft AEG

no routes

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This is a hike to the Sperry Chalet for one night then back down. The trail head is directly across the street from the Lake McDonald parking lot. It's 6.8 miles to the chalet where the chalet has no heat (3 blankets on the double bed), no electricity (need a headlamp) and no running water in the building. They have a new vaulted pit toilet with a solar roof for lights in this building only. It has two outside sinks with VERY cold water. Another building serves as the dining room. It seats 47...the chalet has 17 rooms, many with 2 double beds. We had a pitcher of lemonade when we arrived, napped, had dinner at 6 PM and got up to a good breakfast at 7 AM the next morning. They supple a sack lunch with the price for lodging and meals. I highly recommend Sperry Lodge stay and hike. I was there one week after Tibber and I'm sure she will supply more details than I have

4:32 up
3:17 down

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Brian
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday......there is no SOMEDAY!

Aug 06 2012

tibber

Guides 21
Routes 1,182
Photos 36,858
Triplogs 1,570

69 female

Joined Feb 26 2004
Phoenix, AZ

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Hiking		Aug 06 2012
		tibber • Triplogs 1,570

Hiking	6.50 Miles	3,360 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	3 Hrs 50 Mns	2.29 mph
	3,360 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

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bigfoot

desertgirl

This hike was a change of plans due to the heat (high 80s) and length of our previous thot to return via the Gunsight Trail we had come in on. So rather than hike 13.5 miles back to our car, we decided to hike down the 3300 or so feet of the Sperry Trail and then shuttle back to the car at the Gunsight TH.

We had a nice breakfast with the Houston couple Ambika and I had met at Many Glacier Lodge a couple days before, packed up our gear and started our hike down from this beautiful setting at Sperry Chalet. Of course, we had to take some pics of the goats and a marmot before the hike could begin

. About 1/2 mile down, we stopped at Sprague Creek to look up at the Feather Woman Falls which we had crossed under the previous day. It is such a LONG waterfall and so pretty.

We would be hiking in the shade for the first little bit and then hike mostly in the forest for the rest of our trip down. Guru caught a fleeting glance at a wolverine but we missed it. We would encounter a few hikers heading up the trail and some would pass us on the way down as well as the horse train with passengers. We stopped with a few miles left for a break and sat on one of the large logs along the trail. BRUCE ALERT: Here we indulged in our left over baked potatoes that we had packed all the way up the Gunsight Trl. Let me tell you, that is an awesome snack as we had all the fixings too

.

You could hear the creek on and off so that was pleasant. There is one area where you get to cross over the creek on a bridge where the area before it was very nice. Here there is an intersection with a couple different hike options. We, however, were headed down to GTTSR. It seemed we hit a couple false bottoms too, who knew?! I had heard of false summits but this was my first encounter with false bottoms.

Like most of the trails I've hiked in Glacier Park, this trail was quite nice. The tree cover helped too as it could get warm at times. I was glad we were hiking down. The grade is decent so it's not too hard on your knees. At the bottom you start getting in the cedar forest. It was pretty and smelled good too.

Once at the road it wasn't clear where the shuttle stopped. We eventually decided to walk down to Lake McDonald Lodge where we discovered that the shuttle was across from the store. We waited for about 15 minutes for the big bus. :wrt:

It takes you to the Avalanche stop where you change buses. We heard there had been an accident on the GTTSR so the buses were all delayed but several would be arriving at once which was a good thing since there was a bit of a line (though we were toward the front). Once you get to Logan Pass you have to switch buses again and we were able to snag the last few seats on the bus that was just pulling out to head down the east side.

Video of the paragraphs below: http://youtu.be/VnTvUwRxJz0
(oh, except for the Red Jammer stop.)
We made it back to our car and headed back up to Logan Pass where we walked around for a bit. It's not quite the same with very little snow and the wildflowers weren't as plentiful as had been the last few years. Nor was there any Big Horn Sheep that you normally see on the North side of GTTSR from the Visitors Center. We did see a couple ravens making themselves at home by opening the saddles and bags of the motorbikes parked in the lot. I was filming the action but decided I better shoo the birds.

On our way down the west side of the Pass we pulled over to the Logan Pass Overlook. This was new construction that they had been working on last year. We walked out to the viewing area where we saw some goats and a marmot but the show was by the waterfall behind us as there were a couple families of goats hanging out . I did get some video of that as well as pics.

Eventually we finally made it to the Village Inn at Apgar (at the end of Lake McDonald) but not before a stop at the Red Jammer Restaurant in the McDonald Lodge complex. I had a Bison Bratwurst (was expecting elk) and Ambika and Guru split a pizza (which we would finish off at Bowman Lake the next day). We also had huckleberry beer, wine and soda followed by huckleberry icecream. Life is so good! :y:

Video of our hike down the Sperry Trail: http://youtu.be/hV1gwXMVeQI

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Beargrass NW USA and Canada Foamflower Indianpipe Pearly Everlasting Red Monkey Flower

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Mountain Goat

Named place

Named place [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Feather Woman Falls Lake McDonald Lincoln Pass Snyder Creek Sperry Chalet Sprague Creek

Meteorology

Meteorology [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Avalanche

Wildflowers Observation Light

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For me, sometimes it's just as much about the journey as the destination.
Oh, and once in awhile, don't forget to look back at the trail you've traveled.

Aug 06 2012

desertgirl

Guides 20
Routes 13
Photos 3,189
Triplogs 451

female

Joined Mar 31 2002
Chandler, AZ

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Gunsight Pass Trail

Western, MT

Hiking		Aug 06 2012
		desertgirl • Triplogs 451

Hiking	6.50 Miles	3,360 AEG

Hiking	6.50 Miles	3 Hrs 5 Mns	3.12 mph
	3,360 ft AEG	1 Hour Break

no routes

no photosets

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tibber

Heading down from Sperry Chalet. Missed seeing the wolverine that crossed the trail

. Early part of this trail has some nice views looking back at Sperry Chalet & Sperry Glacier Trail. Latter part of the trail is in the forest & passes the creek on some stretches. You are treated to a quick glance at Lake McDonald on the lower end & soon you at the GTTSR at Lake McDonald.

Wildflowers Observation Isolated

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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